Pope Francis today made two key episcopal appointments, naming Archbishop Michel Aupetit, a former medical doctor and bioethics expert respected in the pro-life movement in France, as the new Archbishop of Paris, and Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes as the new Archbishop of Mexico City — the world’s largest diocese.

Archbishop Aupetit, who currently heads the archdiocese of Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, replaces Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, who is stepping down on age grounds.

Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, whom the Pope elevated to the College of Cardinals in Nov. 2016, has been a rising star in the Mexican episcopate, serving as president of the bishops’ conference from 2006 to 2012. He will now have the weighty responsibility of heading an archdiocese of 7 million faithful.

Cardinal Aguiar, who was appointed archbishop of Tlalnepantla archdiocese just north of Mexico City , replaces Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera who has also retired for reasons of age

Here below are their biographies, provided by the Vatican:

Archbishop Michel Aupetit was born March 23, 1951 in Versailles. After his secondary education he enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine of Créteil, graduating in 1978.

He practiced medicine in Colombes, on the northern outskirts of Paris, for twelve years. He specializes in medical bioethics and has also taught the subject at the Henri Mondor Hospital in Créteil.

In 1990, he entered the seminary for priestly formation, ending with a BA in Theology. He was ordained a priest on June 24, 1995 for the archdiocese of Paris.

After ordination, he held various posts as a parish priest, a chaplain of high schools, and was vicar general of Paris and member of the Council of Priests from 2006 to 2013.

He was consecrated titular bishop of Massita, Paris, in February 2013, and on April 19, 2013 made auxiliary bishop of the diocese.

On April 4, 2014 he was appointed Archbishop of Nanterre. Within the French Bishops' Conference, he is president of the "Family and Society" Council and a member of the bioethics working group.

Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes was born January 9, 1950 in Tepic, Mexico. He was a student at the Seminary of Tepic, and continued his studies at the Seminary of Montezuma (USA) and Tula. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Tepic April 22, 1973.

He later obtained a licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome (1977) and a doctorate in Biblical Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University (1997).

As a priest he was parochial vicar, and rector of the seminary of Tepic and simultaneously chairman of the Organization of Mexican Seminaries (OSMEX) and member of the executive council of Latin American Seminaries.

He was then rector of the Juan XXIII residence for priests of the Pontifical University of Mexico, and professor of Sacred Scripture at the same university.

On 28 May 1997 he was elected Bishop of Texcoco and received episcopal ordination on 29 June. On 5 February 2009 he was transferred to the Archdiocese of Tlalnepantla and appointed metropolitan archbishop.

From 2006 to 2012 he was president of the episcopal conference of Mexico, after having served as secretary general from 2004 to 2006.

He has held various positions in the CELAM (Latin American Episcopal Council): Secretary General from 2000 to 2003; first vice-president from 2003 to 2007 and then president from 2011 to 2015.

Cardinal Aguiar took part in both Synods on the Family, in 2014 and 2015.

Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 19 November 2016.

Within the Roman Curia, he is a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Sad, it’s almost a badge of shame being promoted and/or elevated by this Pope.

Posted by Anthony on Friday, Dec, 8, 2017 11:06 PM (EST):

In view of all the so called progressive bishops being appointed by Pope Francis one can grow sceptical yet this bishop in Paris seems an exceptional choice. Personally I find understanding Pope Francis challenging, not easy. Praying for him on a daily basis has dispelled the fear within me as to where he is leading the church and given me a sense of God is in charge. That does not mean blind acceptance nor passivity but using what is within my own power, namely prayer. Fatima etc calls all of us to conversion, prayer, penance and sacrifice regardless of who is Pope. In these strange times each one of us has a personal responsibility as to our faith and actions. If Heaven, as at Fatima, is warning us then each one of us must personally respond. No one else can do it for us. Not Pope Francis, Cardinal Burke nor anyone else and we cannot use them as an excuse. Jesus Christ alone is our Lord and Saviour. Just a thought.

Posted by Ed on Friday, Dec, 8, 2017 8:49 PM (EST):

I suppose this is as good a place as any to ask, hey, NCRegister, hey, Ed, what’s up with not publishing an article on our Holy Father’s elevating to magisterial authority his leaked letter to the Argentine Bishops’ Conference? Raymond Arroyo and Papal Posse on The World Over said that this incident is a “very important development.” Where’s the reportage? Turn the light on. Don’t leave your readership in the dark.

Posted by Thibaud on Friday, Dec, 8, 2017 9:21 AM (EST):

Mike and all: Bishop Aupetit is a very good appointment. He’s orthodox and outspoken on pro-life and pro-family issues. In addition, he seems to be likable, work well with others (including attendees of the traditional Mass, though he is not one himself) and has an unusual life experience, having worked for more than a decade as an MD (hence is eloquence on pro-life issues).
In fact, the more I read about him, the happier I am about my new bishop (I live in Paris :)). In France, the liberal media already started foaming at the mouth about him, so a very good news indeed.

No idea about the other appointment though.

Posted by Myshkin on Thursday, Dec, 7, 2017 8:37 PM (EST):

After Cupich to Chicago, it’s hard to care about any of Francis’s appointments. Even if these new bishops should prove to possess the true Faith, I can’t help but thinking that it is only by some oversight on Francis’s part. It’s going to take a lot more than even a handful of good appointments for me to believe that Francis is anything other than an ongoing disaster—absolute catastrophe.

Posted by Mike on Thursday, Dec, 7, 2017 1:41 PM (EST):

Are these guys Catholic? Do they belong to the Lavender mafia?(Gay Priest association) Do they support the perennial magisterium of the Church or are they faithless progressives? Why doesn’t this journal give us real and pertinent information about these appointments?

Posted by Nicolas Bellord on Thursday, Dec, 7, 2017 11:43 AM (EST):

Perhaps in respect of Paris, Pope Francis, is getting the message. We need to keep up the pressure. I have no knowledge about the new Archbishop in Mexico except that the Bishops there as a body are fairly orthodox.

Posted by Jeff on Thursday, Dec, 7, 2017 11:39 AM (EST):

It would be curious to analyze what makes someone a “rising star” these days.

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Edward Pentin began reporting on the Pope and the Vatican with Vatican Radio before moving on to become the Rome correspondent for the National Catholic Register. He has also reported on the Holy See and the Catholic Church for a number of other publications including Newsweek, Newsmax,Zenit, The Catholic Herald, and The Holy Land Review, a Franciscan publication specializing in the Church and the Middle East. Edward is the author of “The Rigging of a Vatican Synod? An Investigation into Alleged Manipulation at the Extraordinary Synod on the Family”, published by Ignatius Press. Follow him on Twitter @edwardpentin